The social media giant, Facebook, has announced a new programme in order to help small US businesses grow by giving them the digital skills they need to compete. Facebook Community Boost will arrive in 30 US cities in 2018 where the company plans to work with local organisations to provide training to people who are looking for work. It'll also advise entrepreneurs on how to get started in digital as well as helping local businesses and nonprofits “get the most out of the internet.”

Albuquerque Mayor, Richard Berry, said:

“As the City of Albuquerque is the second most digital city in the nation, we are excited and welcome Facebook to Albuquerque for its new community boost! This initiative will help train our residents in developing key skills to help them thrive in our ever evolving digital world. We look forward to working closely with Facebook in coordinating the week-long event to ensure Albuquerque and New Mexico small businesses are aware and can participate to the fullest extent. We hope this will bring more tech skills and better job opportunities to our wonderful community.”

In addition to entrepreneurs, business owners, and those looking for a job, Facebook will also be happy to provide training on digital literacy and online safety to those getting online for the first time or those looking to give support to their communities. It’ll include learning how to use features such as Facebook Events and Groups in order to bring community members together with the help of technology.

Since 2011, Facebook has already poured $1 billion in investments into small businesses in order to give them the digital skills they need. It has helped 60,000 firms in the US and hundreds of thousands more globally. The effort dubbed Boost Your Business, has been focused on getting businesses to learn how to create their own page on Facebook in order to give them a bigger online presence.